Tire-tightener.



No. 720,174.` PATENTED FEB. 10, 1903.

A. MOMASTER 6l: H. KBAN.

TIRE T'IGHTENER. APPLIGATION FILED rma. 5, 1902.

NQ MODEL. I

UNITED STATES ARTHUR MCMASTER AND HENRY KEAN, OF HAMMOND, VISCONSINASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO FESTUS R. MONROE, OF HAMMOND WISCONSIN.

PATENT OFFICE.

TIRE-TIGHTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 720,174, datedFebruary 10, 1903.

Application filed February 5, 1902. Serial No. 92,706. (No model.)

T all whom t r11/ty concern,.-

' Be it known thatwe, ARTHUR MoMAsTER and HENRY KEAN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Hammond, in the county of St. Croix and Stateof Wisconsin, haveinvented a new and useful Tire-Tighxener, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to tire-tighteners.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel form of clamp bywhich the ends of a tire and rim may be drawn together and held while abridge is applied to the riIn and felly.

With this and other objectswin view, as

, will appear as the nature ofthe invention is better understood, thesame consists in the novel construction and combination of partsY of atiretightener, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, andin which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, thereis illustrated one form'of embodiment of the invention capable ofcarrying the same into effect, it being understood that the elementsherein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, andexact manner of assemblage without departing from the scope oftheinvention, and in these drawings- Figure 1 is a view in sectionalelevation, exhibiting a section of a felly and tire with the bridgepositioned thereon and a clamp for bringing the ends of the felly and ofthe tire together. Fig. 2 is a View in inverted plan of the clamp. Fig.3 is an end elevation looking in the direction of thearrow in Fig. 1,thei folly, rim, and upper portion of the clamp being shown in section.Fig. 4 is a perspective detail View,partly in section,oi` the bridgedetached from the wheel. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view inperspective, taken from one end ofpthe bridge.

In describing this invention the construction of the bridge will first`be given, then that of the clamp, and then the manner in which thebridge is applied to the wheel-rim and the manner in which the clampoperates to produce this result.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 4 thereof, 1designates'the bridge,

the saine to be constructed of malleable castiron, ordinary7 cast-iron,cast-steel, or of any other metal suited to the purpose. The bridgecomprises a body portion 2, provided with two elongated bolt-openings 3near the center thereof and at its ends with sockets 4 and with twohollow side wings 5, each provided with an elongated bolt-opening 6, theside wings being formed by two curved Hanges 7, *constituting acontinuation of the walls of the sockets, and by the under side of plate8 of the bridge, the said plate being eX- tended beyond the flanges 7 topresenttongues 9, that bear upon the under side of the rim, and thusadditionally strengthen the same when the bridge isin position thereon.The bridgel as a whole is shaped to conform to the curvature of the rim,and the body portion has its outer face provided with serrations orteeth 1Q, these being pitched in opposite directions from the medialline of the bridge and are designed to bite into the under side of thetire, thereby to hold the same against slipping when once adjusted. Itis to be understood that this bridge may be made and sold as an articleof manufacture independently of any mechanism for posiv tioning it upona wl1eel,'and for this reason it is to be understood that the bridge isnot to be limited in its application to the Vcombination with the specicform of' clamp shown, and for a similar reason the clamp is not to belimited to coperatio'n with the specific form 'of bridge herein shown.

with each clamping-jaw is a tire-rest 14, the same comprising anL-shaped piece of metal suitably secured to the inner side of the armand operating, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to hold the tire in properoperativerelation with the clamping-jaws. The pairs of clampingarms aredrawn toward each other by operat- IOO ing-screws 15, which are rightand left hand threaded and engage the orifices in the bosses 12, whichare similarly threaded, the operating-screws being provided intermediateof their ends each with a squared portion 16 to be engaged by a wrench.The ends of the clamping-arms opposite those carrying the clamping-jawsare held assembled by bolts 17, carrying nuts 18, and on each of thebolts 17 is mounted a swivel-bolt 19, the opposed ends of which arerespectively right and left hand threaded to be engaged by a turnbuckle20, the bolts 19 and turnbuckle 20 constituting an adjustable brace-rodto hold the two pairs of clam ping-arms in rigid relation to each otherwhen the operating-screws 15 are being turned to draw the opposite endsof the clamping-arms toward each other.

Intermediate of the ends of the clampingarms there are providedbolt-openings 21, through which pass bolts 22, carrying springs 23, thatbear against the opposed faces of the clamping-jaws and operate normallyto press the clamping-arms outward, each bolt 22 being provided with anut 24, by which to move the clamping-arms toward each other against thetension of the springs 23 and cause the clamping-jaws to bite into thesides of the tire. To prevent the bolts 17 and 22 from turning when therespective nuts thereof are tightened, the heads of these nuts arepartly cut away to present a square surface 25, which engages with anabutment 26, carried by the outer side of two of the clamping-arms, thisarrangement being clearly shown in Fig. 3.

In applying the bridge in position upon a wheel the tire is first outthrough, and then a length of the rim is removed to permit the bridge tobe brought into engagement with the ends thereof, the upper surface ofthe opposed felly-sections being cut away to present a shoulder 27 tobear against the outer wall 2S of the socket and also to bring the rimtiush with the outer surface of the body portion. Holes are now drilledthrough the tire and the rim for the reception of bolts 29, that passthrough the openings 6 in the bridge,

and plates 30 are placed on the inner ends of the bolts 27 to bridge theopenings 6, after which the nuts 31 on the respective bolts are turnedpartly home. Openings are also drilled through the tire for thereception of bolts 32, which pass through the openings 3 in the bridgeand carry at their inner ends plates 33, that bridge the openings 3,after which the nuts 34 of the respective bolts are turned partly home.The clamping-jaws are then firmly secured against the sides of the tire,as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and a wrench is applied to the squaredportions 16 of the operating-screws 15, thereby drawing thetelly-sections and the tire-section to the required position, afterwhich the nuts 31 and 34 are firmly seated, causing the teeth 10 to biteinto the inner side of the tire and prevent separation of the rim andtire from each other. loosened and the clamp removed from the tire.

It is to be understood that one or two of these bridges may be appliedto a wheel and also that instead of having the bolt-openings in thebridge elongated those in the tire and the rim may be elongated andstill be within the scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Aclamp to be used for the purpose speci fied, comprising two pairs ofclamping-arms each carrying at one end a serrated clampingjaw, abrace-rod for holding the clampingarms assembled, clamp-adjusting screwsarranged intermediate of the length of the arms, and means for movingthe pairs of arms to and from each other.

2. A clamp to be used for the purpose specitied, comprising two pairs ofclamping-arms each carrying at one end a serrated clampingjaw, abrace-rod for holding the clampingarms assembled, clamp-adjusting screwsarranged intermediate of the length of the arms, and oppositely-threadedscrews engaging threaded bosses on the said arms.

3. A clamp to be used for the purpose specified, comprising two pairs ofclamping-arms each carrying at one end a serrated clampingjaw, abrace-rod for holding the clampingarms assembled, spring-carryingclamp-adjusting screws arranged intermediate of the length of the arms,and means for moving the pairs of arms to and from each other.

4. A clamp to be used for the purpose specified, comprising two pairs ofclamping-arms each carrying a detachable serrated clamping-jaw,tire-rests carried by the clampingarms and disposed below theclampingjaws, a brace-rod for holding the clamping-arms assembled,spring-carrying clamp-adjusting bolts arranged intermediate of thelength of the arms, and means for moving the pairs of arms to and fromeach other.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaiiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses. l

ARTHUR MCMASTER. HENRY KEAN. Witnesses:

PETER C. ANDERSON, C. N. MILLER.

The nuts 24 of the bolts 22 are now.

IOC

